Book Review: Burned by Liz Long

Burned (A Donovan Circus Novel #2) by Liz Long 
Genre: New Adult (Paranormal/Fantasy Romance)
Date Published: December 15, 2013
Publisher: Self

“Tell Sheffield that Medved is hunting him…the Bear is coming.”

Nearly a month after Lucy Sullivan saved the Donovan Circus from certain death, she discovers that Dr. Felix Hardy wasn’t the only bad guy around. When Lucy is attacked on home ground, Sheffield Donovan reveals that there are bigger foes in their world, gifted that use their powers to kill others – including her own family, as she learns from her ringmaster mentor. Medved, a Russian thug and powerful Shapeshifter, is intent on outing the gifted world and will stop at nothing to succeed.

In order to survive, Lucy and her friends must travel to another show, the Grayson Circus, for help. The uneasy alliance with owner Albert Grayson comes with potential new friends and dark secrets about their competition, including a troublemaker named Mel and an old flame of Lucy’s father. Lucy must also contend with her feelings about Keegan and Gabriel, as well as learn how to contain her rampant emotions or risk setting the entire place ablaze.

Will Lucy be able to save the Donovan Circus again? Or will Medved and his men slaughter everyone in their path on the way to gifted domination?

Burned is the second Donovan Circus novel by Liz Long. You would think after killing a major enemy and saving people, Lucy would be a hero and she is, but there are still those who doubt her loyalties and fear her ability. It seems that fight was only the beginning too. There are more threats on the horizon. It's never easy for poor Lucy. When she is sent to the Grayson Circus to convince them to join forces, we are introduced to more characters. Some I liked. I liked. Others? Not so much. Through some of these characters, she learned more about her history. I have to say, I knew who the bad guys were from the start, but that didn't ruin my enjoyment of the story. The love triangle is tense and at times awkward. She strings the guys along for a while. I feel bad for them. Like book one, I'm still rooting for Gabriel. Lucy makes some decisions and does something that really disappointed me. Nope. I'm not telling! The first half of the story flowed a little slowly, but once things started going, they didn't stop. It was hard to put the book down. Plus, there were a couple surprises thrown in too. Things seem to be building up to a major war between the Gifted. I think things are about to get crazier. Is that possible? I think it is.

Burned by Liz Long  was kindly provided to me by the author for review. The opinions are my own.

Check out my reviews of other books by this author!

Liz Long has been writing stories since she could spell the word "unicorn" (second grade). She fears a zombie apocalypse, though admits it would give her good reason to stay inside and write more. She is a proud graduate of Longwood University with a degree in English. Gifted is her debut title, the first in the Donovan Circus series. She lives in Roanoke, VA with her husband Jason and their Jack Russell terror, Fisher.

To learn more about Liz Long and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook and Twitter.

Book Review of Gifted: A Donovan Circus Novel by Liz Long

Gifted (A Donovan Circus Novel #1) by Liz Long 

Genre: New Adult (Paranormal/Fantasy Romance)

Date Published: May 1, 2012
Publisher: Self

Even in a world of freaks, being a Firestarter is considered a dangerous Gift.

Lucy was born with the ability to create and control fire. She longs to leave the human world for one filled with Earthshakers, Transporters, and Chameleons, to name a few. When she rejoins the circus, it’s everything she hoped it could be—new friends, a potential love interest or two, and a place where she can be herself.

When troupe members begin turning up dead, however, Lucy is suspected of foul play. She must not only prove her innocence but also realize the full extent of her power. To find the real murderer, she must uncover the truth behind her father’s fiery legacy while figuring out whom to trust within her new circle. Little does she know the history of the Donovan Circus and its enemies might actually destroy the entire gifted world.

Gifted is the first Donovan Circus Novel by Liz Long. This story had humor, action, romance, mystery... everything I like to find in a story. Lucy is a wonderful character. She's strong and independent with a funny temper. She is looking for a sense of family, and when she finds it she is loyal to a fault. Her character is well built, and you feel like you really know who she is as a person. Her love interests, Keegan and Gabriel couldn't be more different from each other. Keegan is a sweetheart while Gabriel is the bad boy. Of course, I fell for the bad boy. I'm really looking forward to reading future books in this series, and I'm a little nervous too. The author stated on her website: "I plan for each book to be stand-alone; while certain characters and settings will remain the same, the story/plot will be different, including additions (or subtractions–gasp!) of new characters." I get very attached to characters. I am excited about meeting new characters and going new places though. This is a book I highly recommend! Gifted enveloped me within its pages so completely, I felt like I was the one who ran away with the circus.

Gifted: A Donovan Circus Novel by Liz Long was provided to me by the author for review. The opinions are my own.

Check out my reviews of other books by this author!

Liz Long has been writing stories since she could spell the word "unicorn" (second grade). She fears a zombie apocalypse, though admits it would give her good reason to stay inside and write more. She is a proud graduate of Longwood University with a degree in English. Gifted is her debut title, the first in the Donovan Circus series. She lives in Roanoke, VA with her husband Jason and their Jack Russell terror, Fisher.

To learn more about Liz Long and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.